Proof of Murder (Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery #4) - Lauren Elliott Page 0,17

it.” Addie grabbed it with both hands. “It’s heavier than it looks.”

“It should be. It’s made of carbon steel. Another name for them is a wrecking bar so they have to be made strong,” Brian said as he shoved the flat end into the crevice flanked by the door and frame and pried at it to the tune of cracking wood. “Got it!” He handed the bar back to Addie, who dropped it back in his tool bag as he swung the door open.

The crowd of staff that had gathered in the hallway breathed a collective sigh of relief.

“Back to work, everyone.” Blake clapped his hands together. “We’re live in less than an hour.” The group scurried off, leaving the three of them alone. “Thank you, Brian. You can add this little mishap to my bill.”

“Nah,” Brian said, closing his toolkit. “It was nothing, and I’ll come back later to see what I can do about that damage up there.” He tapped on the splintered doorframe.

Addie stepped past him, stuck her head inside, and took a hasty glance around. “There’s no one in here.”

“There has to be.” Blake came to her side. “The door was bolted from the inside.”

“Take a look.” She waved her hand. “Do you see anyone? Oh, wait. What’s that?” She pointed to the desk chair turned away from them. “Is that Charlotte’s hand on the arm?”

“See? I told you she was probably in here sleeping.”

“Charlotte?” Addie called hesitantly as she moved toward the desk. With no reaction from the woman, Addie’s gut tightened. She reached for the chair and swiveled it toward her. Bile rose to the back of her throat. The ghastly look on Charlotte’s face shook her to the core, and she clasped a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream.

“What’s wrong with her?”

Addie took a sharp breath and winced as she placed two fingers on Charlotte’s neck to check for a pulse. “She’s dead.” Addie stood as upright as her quaking legs would allow. “Judging by how cold her skin is, I’d say she has been for a while.”

“I’ll call nine-one-one.”

“Tell the operator what we found so they can dispatch the appropriate response teams.”

Chapter 6

Hands on her knees, Addie gulped in deep breaths. No matter how many dead bodies she stumbled across, she’d never get used to it.

“What do you think it was, a stroke, a heart attack, or what?” Blake’s voice resonated like cymbals in her ears.

Addie stood upright and tried to focus on his question. “I don’t know. Probably. She was alone in here by the look of it, and the door was locked from the inside. I can’t see any wounds or marks to make me think otherwise. But we’ll have to see what the coroner says.”

“You’re right.” Blake wavered when he stood up from the chair beside the desk. Addie could tell that in spite of the animosity that appeared to exist between him and Charlotte, this shook him. “I guess I’d better go let the staff know there’s been an incident, and not to panic when the authorities show up.”

Addie nodded. “I’d better stay here, though, until the police arrive. They might be upset if we left the body unattended.”

“I hope for your sake it’s not too long, but I’ll try and come back to keep you company after I deliver the news.” On unsteady legs, Blake made his way to the door. “Not sure what I’m going to say to them, though.” His voice faltered as the door clicked softly closed behind him.

This was a first for Addie—not finding a dead body but being trapped in a room with one, especially one that had such a haunted look in its eyes.

For no other reason than to hold on to her last shred of sanity this house threatened to take away from her, she knew she’d need to avoid glimpsing the body in the chair at all costs. When she and Blake arrived, she’d turned the desk chair toward her from the fireplace direction it had been facing. Not wanting to leave more contaminating prints at the scene, she’d left it in the position it was at the moment, facing the window. By her mental calculations, in front of the fireplace and behind the chair, where Blake had been sitting, and directly in front of the desk or by the door, appeared to be the only areas in the room where Addie could escape that ghastly look in Charlotte’s eyes, an image that would take her years